By Nick Creely
FROM Pakenham to the western side of Melbourne, Craig Slocombe is a name synonymous with all cricket tragics.
He is spoken about as a pillar of the DDCA, an icon, and an example of exactly what makes sport so important in the south-east, but not just in terms of his ability to carve up the opposition, but it’s his impact in uniting communities that makes the 43-year old such a special individual in Victoria.
“Slocs” lived for a long time in Berwick, playing cricket for Springvale South, Parkmore and Hallam-Kalora Park over a 30-year career, living a relatively quiet life outside the game, and puts down his immense durability quite simply.
“You just end up working it all out, how the game works – who you’re up against each week and the conditions, and you prepare for that,” he explained.
“I got married this year actually – I’d been with my wife Monique for over 20 years, and finally tied the knot – but I like to just do my own thing, we enjoy each other’s company and she goes to Sri Lanka too which is good.
“Trying not to over-complicate things is important.
“I look forward to relaxing and doing a lot of different things.”
Starting his journey at a young age, Slocombe fell in love with the game instantly, and was drawn to the culture of the Bloods.
“I started as an eight-year-old in the game, watching and riding my bike down to the ground each week, and finally I started playing in the Under 12s,” he said.
“Peter Mathison was my first coach, and he impacted on me a lot to be honest – he’s one of the key reasons I started the game and he was wonderful for me.
“I went through juniors, and we always kind of had a strong side – the whole area was strong, North Dandenong, Parkfield, Berwick, Cranbourne, it keeps going – our Turf 1 side actually got relegated when I was 15 and a lot of our top players left the club, and all the young guys got put into the top side, and that was actually a blessing in disguise.
“It made us grow up in a way, so it was good.
“The competition is a lot younger now in the top ranks as it was back then, it was a lot tougher back then; 200 was a winning score, and it just had a harder edge about it.
“But people are more ambitious now in games, so as a result there’s more runs.”
Not a lot of people might realise, perhaps even Slocombe himself may have forgotten, but he had the opportunity to advance his career in Premier Cricket, but ultimately decided to veer off that path.
“Everyone obviously has ambitions to play higher, and to not fulfil that is disappointing, but the prize has been that I’ve met some incredible people along the way – I’ll never change that for the world,” he said.
“I had a crack at Dandenong under Warren Ayres in the ’90s, and the reality is that I should have stuck at it – I made a bad decision at the time.”
But something Slocombe has always done is lift when it mattered; with one innings in particular standing out among the rest.
“I got 145 in a semi-final against Hallam – on that day we were facing some great fast-bowlers, in particular the great Rob Walton, and to get a big score in a big game was very satisfying – we lost the grand final the next week so things can change quickly,” he said.
“But it’s something I’m proud of.”
With nothing left to prove, Slocombe continues to grind away, captaining the Bloods in Turf 1 this season, and says the youth and energy of his team-mates has kept him going – but admits that cricket won’t last forever.
“I love the game and what it brings, I want to win and that’s how I’ve grown up – cricket’s fun and there’s also a lot of healthy competition in this association, obviously with a lot of people coming in around the same age as me,” he said.
“At the moment, my motivation is our young group, we are skilful and switched on – I don’t want to leave them in the deep end because they’re really good kids – and I want to have something decent to watch with a beer down the track.
“I haven’t put a date on anything, but the end is very close.”
Tragics of the DDCA have branded Slocombe the greatest batsman produced in a richly strong competition, but typical of the “Slocs” style, he remained modest and dismissive of the tag.
“It doesn’t sit comfortably at all to be honest – when you play long enough you’re going to make a lot of runs, it shouldn’t be based on that – I could rattle off more players comfortably that I’d put way ahead, they just didn’t play 30 years, that’s the difference,” he explained.
“I’m chancy – I like to take the game on I suppose – I love putting bowlers on the back foot and gaining the upper hand early.
“I have been lucky enough to score runs in numerous finals, but the will to win never fades and I play proudly.”
Now looking at life post-cricket, Slocombe is sketchy about his involvement in the sport, in particular coaching, and has other areas of life that he is looking to pursue.
“I’m not sure to be honest – I’m lucky I have a few things to choose from, but at this stage the first thing I’ll do when I retire is not wake up worrying about what to do,” he said.
“This is my second year coaching the Under-21s, I’ve been watching it for a long time, and I played myself back in the day, so I’m not sure of my path.
“But something I’ve seen is some incredible players to come out of the Under 21s.
“Steve Myer was someone I saw come through the Under-21s, and he went on to become a champion Premier player, and now is a legend of the DDCA.
“James Pattinson, Will Carr, those kinds of guys have gone on to higher ranks that I’ve seen come through.”
Something Slocombe may love more than cracking a fast bowler back over his head is Sri Lanka, a place that warms his heart when speaking about it – and now runs his annual AusLanka tour.
“It all started when I went over there to coach a little bit of indoor cricket – it’s a wonderful place for cricket loving people, and it’s not really on the map, so I decided to organise for people to go over there and have a beer and have a bit of fun, and enjoy the country for what it is,” he explained.
“We go as a group once a year and we bring cricket loving people.”
Nestled into the south-east, Slocombe said that the whole area, from his cricket club Springvale South, from Cranbourne to Pakenham, is a family, and that the vastly multicultural area has seen more opportunities for people originating from other countries.
“I remember back when I was in school, one of the first kids to come and sit next to me was a Cambodian kid, and then a lot of Vietnamese people started coming into town – this was in the mid-1980s, and now there are some fantastic people in this area.
“It’s like one big multicultural family the south-east – it’s really good – we’ve had a lot of Indian players come to the club without any connection, and we welcome anyone from anywhere.”
